“I’m serious, baby,” he said, following behind me to the other side of the closet. “I was supposed to go back to the office this afternoon, but I’ll just stay home. Just me and you. We can do something fun, whatever you want.”
I pulled a skirt from the drawer. “I’m used to the rainchecks,” I said, rolling my eyes. “And the rescheduling, so don’t bother.”
He exhaled while his hands wrapped around mine. He turned me to face him, kissing my forehead.
“Khlo,” he whispered, pulling me closer. “Look at me.”
I didn’t want to because looking at him always made it harder to hold my anger. But the moment I did, he leaned in and kissed me so passionately. He always knew exactly what to do with his mouth when his words fell short.
“I hate that you know how to do this,” I said against his lips, already folding into the kiss.
“I love that I still can,” he whispered back, kissing the corner of my mouth, then my jaw. “Still got you, don’t I?”
I closed my eyes, breathing him in. One kiss became two. Then three. His hands wandered to my pussy as he lifted one of my legs on the bench before he started to rub my clit.
“Tell me how good that feels,” he said, kissing my neck.
“I missed you,” I whispered.
“I love you,” he said, licking his lips. “As soon as they leave, I’m clearing that table and laying you right across it.”
That made me smile and kiss him harder. We were both starting to moan into it when I pressed my hand against his chest and pulled back just enough to speak.
“Well okay,” I said, breathless. “Let’s hurry up, so we can get them out of our house.”
3
Khloe
By the time we made it downstairs, the dining table was already set. Gia was talking per usual and mid-sentence when we walked in.
“—it’s not just the bag,” she was saying, waving her wine glass, “it’s the story behind the design. They only made forty of them this season. I had to have it flown in straight from Paris. It’s a collectible.”
Tatum, sitting across from her, looked at her like she was wearing royalty. His eyes shined with pride that came from knowing he was the reason she was that happy.
“I’m glad I could get it for you, baby,” he said, then glanced across the table toward Kairo who was taking his seat. “All those late nights and early mornings help make that happen.”
They clinked glasses like two proud providers basking in the applause of their wives’ luxury.
I rolled my eyes before I could stop myself. That was the problem. They measured devotion by receipts, labeled love in shipping confirmations, and counted connection in carats.
But never understood that the most precious thing was time, and you can’t buy time. It was the one thing no one at that table seemed to value anymore.
Gia kept going on about a new bracelet and an upcoming trip. Kairo and Tatum were eating it up. I smiled when I was supposed to, chewed slowly, and counted the minutes until the lunch was over.
I was reaching for my glass when Gia turned her attention to me.
“So Khloe…” she said, leaning forward with her chin propped on her hand, “when’s the next time you’re going to that bougie-ass spa you love so much? I told the girls that we should tag along.”
Everyone at the table looked at me.
She was talking about Velour & Vines—the private spa and retreat I’d been a member of for the past three years. It wasn’t just a spa. The kind of place where time didn’t move, and you could escape to another world in your mind with the kind of luxury and relaxation that it offered. The retreat offered everything from full-day massages, detox rituals, and deep-sleep therapy to private meditation domes, curated wine pairings, therapy sessions, group yoga, holistic bodywork, and so much more. On the surface, it was peace. Behind the scenes, for those who knew where to look, it was also an entry point to an exclusive sex club called Vault Velour. It was a discreet, membership only world where desire was luxury too.
Kairo paid my monthly membership to the spa without argument. Maybe because he knew how much time I spent there when he was working late. Maybe because he knew thatafter Kennedi stopped needing me for everything, I needed somewhere that did.
It became my escape. The place I went to remind myself that I was still a woman, even if I didn’t always feel like one at home.
I laughed lightly, resting my napkin in my lap. “Probably next weekend. They just renovated and added a new aromatherapy suite.”
